Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-02-19
FuLToN,s STEAMBOAT,


D"wn the Hudson.
Manchester Union: DIR. William
Perry, the oldest graduate OF Harvard
college, who died at Exeter q few days
days agC, was ths sole surveyor OF the
passengers who were ON robert Fulton's
little steamboat when she made her fam
oGs trip down the Hudson in 1867. He
became q passenger on the boat through
accident. He had left Schenectady,
where he had been OF school, on his way
nome for the holidays and after . tedious
stage-ride had reached Albany. At
this time railroads mad not peen intro
dnced in this country. end IN their stead
journeys were made by the o~ld-fashoned
stage-coach, and, where navigation was
possible by river boets as they were
called, which made trips regularly from
point to point. Such boads made trips
up from New York to Albany and back.
and by this way DR.. Perry was to trsvel.
Thes packets were clumsy affairs and
depended entirely upon the wind. The
journey vas long and tho passengers
often late at their points of destination.
Arriving at Albany young Perry found
that no boat would leave for several
days as the vessel, which was billed to
leave that day, had not yet arrived from
her previous trip. By good chance he
happened to overhear some men talking
about o new invention called q steam
boat, which was TO make o trial trip to
Nav York the next day.
He decided to be one OF her passengers
and his story OF the frat trip Of the first
steamboat IN America will always be re-.
membered by those who heard it. The
doctor used to declare that the name OF
the boat was not. az has been universally
stated, the Olermont. It was Katherine OF
Clermont, named in honor OF F1lton'r
wife, Katherine Livingston, OF Olermont
New York. There WAS o lads of Oonnec-
ticnt under young Perry's charge
on her way to New York city, and she
agreed to go by the steamer. It took hel
so long, however to get ready that morn
ing--it was Aug. 10, 1807-that when they
renched the wharf the boat was steamine
off. With an accommodation that hasD'i
served to establish q precedent for these
later years, the officers stopped the vesse
and sent back a small boat to take thu
two travellers on board.
At frat everything went smoothly, but
in the afternoon the steamboat ran
aground, and 1t was necessary to wait 10,
high tide before she could float of
After that the boat got into more seriout
trouble. but Mr.. Perry was not then or
board. At Kingston he had decided &c
stop over and visit his sbrother. Th,
Katherine of Olermopt continued hel
course, bat had travelled only a few mile,
farther when her boiler burst and she
had TO be lGid up for repairs for severs,
days. Soon afterwards she began regu
lar trips between New York and Albany
As to the appearance OF the first
steamer, DIR. Perry used to say that i,
was q rudely built craft, about y hun
dred and twenty-five feet long and
twenty feet wide, with side paddle
wheels and q sheet iron boiler. She conlt
make about Six miles an hour, The ma
chinery OF the boat was clumsy ant
made such q noise 90 to Brighten the cat.
tie which were grazing along the banks
OF the river. At come places the people
who gathered ct the banks to sec the
craft were also frightened. and fed wher
they beheld the thing gliding along with
no visible power to mako il nov It il
interesting to note, in connection with
the story OF DR.. Perry. that Grsat Brit
ain did not receive her first practica.
BILE steamboat until 1872, Ave year.
after the trial trip Of Fulton's fret boat
70 wei not until 1919 that the efficiency
of the pulling craft for transportation
between the two countries Was mad,
manifest. Then the little Savannaf
steamed acFoss the ocean, making Oh,
trip in twenty-six days. Now the triK
can be made in eix days.